Sheriff Garcia To Drunk Drivers: We Will Draw Your Blood

The Memorial Day weekend is upon us and as during many national holidays, drunk driving is expected to go up in the next few days. To prevent tragedies like the death of a Harris County Sheriff's deputy last weekend, law enforcement agencies are admonishing the public to be responsible.

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Law enforcement agencies frequently address the public about the dangers of drunk driving. But the message seemed personal for Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia, who spoke less than a week after Sgt. Dwayne Polk was killed by a suspected drunk driver in North Houston.

“A life was lost, a family devastated, a young man’s dreams of learning more from his father destroyed, a mother who should never outlive her child having to deal with that reality.”

Garcia likened drunk driving to terrorism, saying people in Harris County don’t have to look far to see terror.

This is the intersection Sgt. Dwayne Polk was killed in by a suspected drunk driver.

“There are people who are making (a) conscientious decision to bring terror to our community when they drink and drive. There are people who are making conscientious decisions to create an explosion when they are driving drunk.”

According to the Sheriff’s Office, there were 14 alcohol-related car accidents during last year’s Memorial Day weekend. Capt. Darryl Coleman says the Sheriff’s Office will make an increased effort to catch drunk drivers this weekend.

“The Harris County Sheriff’s Office will have approximately 40 deputies out this weekend and with the combined efforts of our fellow law enforcement officers from neighboring agencies, we will make an effort to reduce the vehicle crashes from last year’s count.”

HPD and other area police departments will have a “No Refusal” weekend. Judges will be on call to grant warrants to draw blood from suspected drunk drivers.

Garcia says there will be no sympathy for those caught driving while intoxicated.

“We will draw your blood as is the blood that you have sometimes shed to send you to jail for a very long time and give you a lifetime of regret for a ridiculous and stupid decision. We will put the cold steel of handcuffs on you and put you in the backseat of a patrol car and treat you like the common thug you are.”

Deputies will also patrol waterways to enforce boating while intoxicated laws. Drunk boating has the same legal implications as drunk driving.